W, sure, any fairly new PC or Mac can use the audiophile version now. It actually is slightly easier on the computer than the ‘regular’ version. To find out why, read the short essay I wrote in the Tips and Tricks forum here. It’s the first sticky post.

If people don’t mind using the external drive all the time, it works fine.

it was actually your article that convinced me to purchase the Mac audiophile version ( PG's 2 TB USB drive ) and will continue updating it.

I do have all the Mac's i have ever purchased. Although I can use the Mac Audiophile USB drive with my " legacy " Mac's the performance with a couple of really old Mac's is beyond sluggish and really not worth the time.

W, that sounds right, but perhaps for a different reason. First, the older versions of BIAB had many more files for the RealTracks. They were called +- files. When the Elastique algorithm was introduced, the need for those +- files went away, but only in faster computers. I don’t know if the Mac version worked the same way.

Second, besides the above, the program itself has become more powerful and the minimum requirements for acceptable performance have risen. I would maintain that newer versions might have trouble running on older machines and it has nothing at all to do with RealTracks (audiophile or not); it’s the updated program.

I agree Jim. There is a difference in the way different folk use the program. Using so called lossless formats (recorded at 44.1k 16 bit) to set up a band sound for a noisy environment with people talking, others singing or heckling, poker machines clicking and clanging seems a waste of time. Using lossless formats to create MP3 to me seems like a waste also. Most people cannot hear the difference nor do they care.

Yes if you are using the software to create commercials, movies or indeed records there may be a need to go for the best but for some of us not really.

If I can hear anything over the tinnitus I have even with hearing aids in I am thrilled. I do wish I had tinnitus with a beat or a tune.

Do away with Audiophile version, and instead make all versions of BIAB using uncompressed audio for all Real Drums and Real Tracks.

I disagree with you. With the Audiophile edition, I can load BIAB using the hard drive without needing to install BIAB on my computer so I'm going to say no to that idea. I get that you want to have all audio to be uncompressed without needing the hard drive and I totally agree with that idea but it will never happen. First, how would you be able to take every audio file in BIAB, load it onto your hard drive and be able to use the files? Second, do you enjoy the ability to use BIAB on the hard drive without needing to download it? I know I do. So again, I want the Audiophile edition to stay.

Summary of Changes for Build 5Added: When generating the input file for saving as an MGU/SGU SongMode128= is saved to the input file.Added: Localization support for 2018.Added: flyby hints to new dialogs.Fixed: Save As with a filename greater than 128 chars could cause an error 123 plus access violation.Fixed: Rebooting RealBand after a filename with 128 chars was saved could cause an access violation.Fixed: Pressing the Change button in the Event List Window could result in an access violation if an event was not a Note event.Fixed: When running in Win 10, and using BBW or PT to generate audio harmonies, an error would occur saying that you need BB 2011 or PT 12 to generate audio harmonies.Fixed: Midi Thru Method was not being saved to the .INI file. It always reverting to Track-Specific when booting up RealBand, even if the user manually changed the setting to Global in the Midi Thru Settings dialog.Fixed: Delete All Notes on This Peg menu item in notation window right-click menu was missing.Fixed: Potential crash on exit (having to do with the DLL attempting to free up a dynamic array that was passed to it).

Summary of changes for Build 512 since 510 (Feb 15 2018):Fixed: "Load SoundTrack Song" and "Load song with RealDrums Audio" buttons in the Sound Track dialog were not working.Fixed: After returning Band-in-a-Box to factory settings the File Open dialog would default to the bb\Data\Lib directory.Fixed: Choosing a custom chord sheet font would ignore any color choice made in the font selection dialog.Fixed: Drum names were sometimes truncated in the RealDrums MultiDrums and Quicklist dialogs.Fixed: Exporting a MIDI file might cause the error, "MIDIConv.exe no found".Fixed: Mixer changes were not undoable, and would not cause user to be prompted to save their song when exiting.Fixed: Static in RT2438 and other various RealTracks fixes.Fixed: StylePicker database various updates. Some styles were displaying the wrong feel (swing/even) in notation. A few styles incorrectly showed missing Drums.Fixed: The audio latency setting would increase every time leaving the Windows Audio Devices dialog.Fixed: The Download Manager folder name defaulted to 2016 instead of 2018.Updated: Help file.

Windows Audio (WASAPI) driver support. This allows for low latency audio recording/playback without requiring ASIO. Note that this supports 1 stereo input plus 1 stereo output at a time. For multiple inputs/outputs, you should continue to use either MME or ASIO.

ABC Notation format support. You can save a track of notation in a popular ASCII text format to import into other programs, or you can paste this format into a user forum as a way of sending the track (usually the melody and chord symbols) to other users without having to attach a file.

The built-in Audio Chord Wizard detection in the Chords window automatically detects the chords of the song, based on the audio data from all non-muted audio tracks. This works similar to the standalone Audio Chord Wizard, except that it uses the current bar lines of the existing song.

Notation Enhancements:
-X/8 time signature support. This is a special method of displaying 6/8, 9/8, or 12/8 time signatures in the Notation window.
-The Duplicate previous chord in notation right-click menu lets you quickly duplicate the previous chord (group of notes on same peg) without having to reenter it.
-Delete highlighted notes in notation right-click menu lets you delete all highlighted notes.
-Delete all notes on this peg in notation right-click menu lets you delete all notes on the nearest peg that was clicked on.
-You can now enter Section Numbers. Previously, you could enter letters (A-Z) only, but now you can also enter numbers (1-9).

We released the much-loved Xtra Styles PAKs in August 2016! This release included 164 RealStyles for Jazz, Country, Rock-Pop, and Singer/Songwriter and worked with any Band-in-a-Box® 2016 or higher UltraPlusPAK, EverythingPAK, or Audiophile Edition!

Xtra Styles PAKs were such a hit... we couldn't stop making them! Since their introduction, we've released 3 more PAKs with a total of over 600 Xtra Styles in all!

Check out some great feedback we've received on our Facebook account from program users:

"I have been using Band-in-a-Box for years. It is the anchor of my music gigs as well as my fun in my studio. I have used other software but Band-in-a-Box is my main go to."
-Jack T.

"Love Band-in-a-Box. As someone who played professionally for 20 years and retired from live performing years ago, I still love music. Band-in-a-Box allows me to create fun arrangements which I can sing over or play over. There are THOUSANDS of different variations plus you can enter any chords you like and create any chart. It's also great for creating background tracks for videos and audio content for websites, training etc. And like everything else in the world . . . it may not be right for everyone. For those who love music and don't have the time to shed five or six instruments it's way cool."
-Vinnie R.

"This program has completely changed my playing for the good. I can experiment with playing chords and leads over various scenarios that I can quickly create and change. Love this program. I use it nearly every day."
-Dave R.

"I bought my first version in 1994 and have progressed to 2018 version. I use it to create backing tracks for live music performance. I currently have over 2,000 songs performance ready. If you can and type, and use mouse it will work for you."
-Roger M.

"The premiere reason for me for buying this program; it has given me the freedom to fully complete the foundation for my songs without the confinement of limited minded musicians. After the song concept is complete, it can then be presented those musicians to play as a cover song. Also writing a song with a band gives them partial ownership of your idea... not cool... especially since they may have fought your idea every step of the way.. Every member of an organized band should own a copy of this program to compose or to even give legitimate composition alternatives to the original songwriter."
-Paul V.

ABC notation is the simple text-based notation system used by musicians worldwide to store chords, melody, and lyrics of songs. Now with Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows you can open and save songs in ABC notation format!

To save the song in ABC notation format, press the [Save As] toolbar button and choose Save as ABC notation file from the menu. Once opened, select a track that you want to save and choose your other criteria - The [Copy to clipboard] button will copy the file to the clipboard (that you can then paste it into other programs). The [Save as File] button will let you type a name and select the destination in your hard drive.